THE INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FRATERNITY NEWSLETTER MARCH 2016 Fraternity2 News The Kansas City and Phoenix Chorales with Artistic Director and SAI National Arts Associate Charles Bruffy (front Collegiate3 center). Chapter Bruffy, Chorales Win Grammy Comment he Kansas City Alumnae Chapter congratulates performances of the work by the combined ensembles in Charles Bruffy, Artistic Director and SAI National April and May 2014 in Phoenix and Kansas City. Arts Associate, and Jessica Salley, KC Chorale “I could not be more thrilled,” Bruffy said. “And am member and KC Alumnae Chapter member, along with so proud of these amazing singers who have so willingly the other members of the KC Chorale and Phoenix gone on this journey with me, and of the overwhelming 5 Chorale, for winning Best Choral Performance Grammy international reception this album has received.” Alumnae on Feb. 15 for Rachmaninoff All-Night Vigil. Their album Since its March 2015 release, Rachmaninoff: All- was also nominated for Best Engineering, Classical. night Vigil skyrocketed to popularity, achieving multiple Chapter The National Academy of Recording Arts and milestones, including: 5 weeks on Billboard Charts; a Comment Sciences awarded the Kansas City Chorale and the Number One debut on Billboard Traditional Classical Phoenix Chorale one Grammy Award at the 58th Annual Chart; a Number Three debut on Billboard Classical Chart Gregory Dickens Grammy awards held Feb. 15 in Los Angeles at the Staples (Includes crossover albums); and Number Three Amazon PUBLICATIONS Center. Artistic Director and SAI National Arts Associate sales charts, including Opera/Vocal, Chamber, & Classical MANAGER Charles Bruffy won for “Best Choral Performance.” Rachmaninoff: All-night Vigil is distributed by Naxos Including this win, the KC Chorale recordings have now of America, the #1 independent classical music distributor Ruth Sieber Johnson earned a combined total of nine nominations and five in the U.S. and Canada, specializing in state-of-the-art EXECUTIVE wins. KC Alumnae Chapter member Jessica Salley is also a distribution, marketing and promotion. DIRECTOR member of the KC Chorale. One of the most admired choral conductors in Linda McAlpin The album was recorded at St. Peter’s Cathedral the United States, conductor Charles Bruffy began his ALUMNAE in Kansas City, KS, by the Kansas City Chorale and career as a tenor soloist, performing with the Robert Shaw COMMENT EDITOR the Phoenix Chorale under the direction of Bruffy. The Festival Singers. Robert Shaw encouraged his development CONTACT US recording was released by Chandos Records on the 100th as a conductor, and, in 1996, he was invited by National 828.251.0606 anniversary of the world premiere of the work given by Public Radio to help celebrate Shaw’s eightieth birthday [email protected] the Moscow Synodal Choir on March 10, 1915. Fifty-six Continued on page 2 www.sai-national.org singers appeared on the recording, which followed live 2 fraternity news Continued from page 1 ZETA B PROVINCE DAY with an on-air tribute. In 1999, The New York Times named him as the he Zeta B Province had a wonderful Province Day on Feb. 6 conductor’s potential heir. He has been Artistic Director of the Kansas hosted by the Delta Iota chapter. All five chapters in the province City Chorale since 1988, of the Phoenix Chorale since 1999, and of were represented with over 30 women in attendance. After the Kansas City Symphony Chorus since 2008. In 2009, he brought the socializing over donuts, we officially started with the Opening Ceremony Phoenix Chorale and Kansas City Chorale to Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln and welcomes from Province Day Committee Chairman Courtney Center for their New York debut. Bryant, myself, and letters from Region II Officer Ginger R. Patterson and He conducts workshops and clinics across the US and abroad, National President Leslie Odom Miller. serves on a number of advisory boards, and served on the Chorus Our first speaker was Dr. Ted Honea, professor at the University of Central Oklahoma, who gave a rousing lecture called “Music America Board for seven years. Respected and renowned for his fresh Education: Endless Vamping on a Tired Tune.” The program described and passionate interpretations of standards of the choral repertoire and the cyclic nature of the support/cuts of music education throughout for championing new music, he has commissioned and premiered works history. After a short break, we had our musicale. Nearly every chapter by composers such as SAI Member Laureate Libby Larsen, Ola Gjeilo, was represented! Performers included a harpist, a clarinet duo, a flutist, Matthew Harris, Zhou Long, Stephen Paulus, Stephen Sametz, Steven and an ensemble piece about the history of Edmond, OK. We have some Stucky, Eric Whitacre, and Chen Yi. Under his supervision, the Roger very talented musicians in Zeta B! During lunch, we had a cake auction Dean Company, a division of the Lorenz Corporation, publishes a choral with the proceeds benefiting SAI Philanthropies, Inc. and El Sistema series specializing in music for professional ensembles and sophisticated Oklahoma; we raised $220 with this event. high school and After lunch, we heard from our second speaker Robyn Hilger, college choirs. His a member of the Normal Alumnae Chapter and Executive Director of eclectic discography El Sistema Oklahoma. Her presentation, “A Mission of Joy and Hope,” includes eight taught us about El Sistema Oklahoma: a well-respected, successful, and recordings for unique after-school program serving over 200 disadvantaged public school Chandos Records. children in Oklahoma City. The mission of El Sistema Oklahoma is to Five of these serve the community by engaging children within an ensemble-based recordings have music program so they can share the joy of music making and grow as received a total responsible citizens. Attendees to Province Day were asked to bring of 12 Grammy school supplies to donate to El Sistema Oklahoma, and the response was nominations and overwhelming. Next was craft time, and we decorated picture frames. As three wins: in everyone finished, I presented “Bringing Convention Home” and asked 2007 for “Best other members to share experiences from convention. Our day concluded Engineered at 4:00 with the Closing Ceremony. Album, Classical” — Alicia Vanderschaaf, Zeta B Province Officer for Grechaninov: Passion Week featuring the Kansas City Chorale and Phoenix Chorale; the 2008 Grammy for “Best Small Ensemble Performance” for Spotless Rose: Hymns to the Virgin Mary featuring the Phoenix Chorale; and Grammys FRATERNITY ED. TIPS in 2012 for “Best Engineered Album, Classical,” and “Best Choral Performance.” HONOR OUR RITUAL Founded in 1981, the Kansas City Chorale is a professional vocal ensemble that enriches local, national, and international communities lease take special care in keeping track of your chapter’s master through its dedication to excellence in performing music from diverse and music ritual books. Use the ritual book sign out sheet historical periods. The Chorale has received an ASCAP Award for -found for printing on the Officer Portal/Document Library/ adventurous programming in addition to receiving multiple Grammy VPR Resources. All Master and Music Ritual books must be present nominations and several wins, most recently in 2012 for “Best Choral at the Province Officer Official Visit. The PO will conduct an official inventory of all ritual materials and books at the OV. In addition, Performance” for Life and Breath: Choral Works by René Clausen. Under the artistic direction of Charles Bruffy since 1988, the Kansas City Alumnae VPRs complete an annual report and inventory each year on the Officer Portal. Chorale has recorded works for Chandos Records and Nimbus Records, and was the first North American choir signed to that label. Do not copy (presentations, email, social media posts) any of the material The Grammy-winning Phoenix Chorale is regarded as one of the from the Ritual Book. It would never be appropriate to do so. finest choral ensembles in North America. What began in 1958 as a small study group of singers became a fully professional choir in 1992 made — Tracy Wygal Withrow, up of Arizona residents: highly educated and trained singers, teachers National Vice-President, Ritual and Fraternity Education and professionals. In 2004, the Phoenix Chorale became the first North American choir to record for the U.K.’s prestigious Chandos Records and, For more Fraternity Education Inspiration, since then, the Chorale’s recordings have earned a total of 12 Grammy visit the Officer Portal Document Library. nominations and four Grammy wins. — kcchorale.org TEMPO! • March 2016 • sai-national.org collegiate comment 3 EPSILON — Ithaca (NY) College for Music & Memory. This past December, the chapter hosted their annual Holly Hop At our traditional joint recital with Phi Mu Alpha in October, seniors event to benefit the charity Toys for Tots. The event took place in Kailey Kelley and Courtney Ham sang Rossini’s “Duetto buffo di due the Whalen School of Music and was a great success for the chapter. gatti (a comic duet for two cats).” Between operatic meows and hisses, the Currently, the sisters are preparing for this semester’s recruitment week, audience howled with laughter. scheduled to begin on Feb. 7, including a Pipes of Pancakes evening, a At the Kappa A Province Weekend in January, several sisters got Dance-Off competition, and closing with a Formal Fondue event. to know members of neighboring chapters and shared our favorite SAI Several sisters of the chapter have been preparing for upcoming recitals stories. Beta Xi looks forward to welcoming our new member class, and and performances; sisters Katherine Filatov and Erin Dowler both we hope to have another wonderful year in 2016! — Eva Frederick, editor performed elective clarinet recitals on Jan. 29 and 30, respectively. The upcoming Ithaca College Main Stage Opera production of Handel’s GAMMA UPSILON - Morehead State (KY) University Semele this February will also feature sisters Megan Benjamin and Sherley- On Oct.